It was such a gift to travel from California to the east coast to photograph Jayvee and Jonathan’s destination wedding! The two were wed at a Catholic church in their home state of New Jersey. And their reception was at the historic Washington Crossing Inn, right next to the Delaware river in Pennsylvania. This is the famous historical location where Washington crossed the icy river on Christmas night to surprise British troops and help win the Revolutionary War. The charming colonial buildings perched alongside the river were complimented by the rich tones of autumn. Jayvee and Jonathan made their own personal history about a year ago this October, gathering their friends and family who traveled from as far as the Philippines, France, and Switzerland. I can see why everyone wanted to be there for their wedding; these two are the perfect compliment to each other! As a wedding photographer, one of the joys of my work is to witness a couple that is truly in love and supportive of each other.

The dress: “My cousin Stefanie “ Tipay” is a fashion designer in the Philippines. She sketched and made the wedding dress for me. The custom-designed wedding dress captured the modern yet classic silhouette with lace and beading details that I had envisioned. The look was completed with a Spanish-inspired mantilla veil with scalloped edges, which I really loved.” – Jayvee

Jonathan’s sister Cat custom made this beautiful wedding invitation suite for us with beautiful calligraphy and vine details.

Jonathan looked quite dapper in his burgundy tuxedo, and his groomsmen in navy blue.

Jayvee looked stunning in Spanish mantilla veil as she walked down the aisle!

The florals: “I wanted the wedding flowers to be modern, organic and moody to fit the beautiful fall foliage. Flora has captured it so well and I was in love with the bouquet!” - Jayvee

“For the wedding ceremony, we incorporated the Filipino wedding rites and symbols: rings and arrhae, candles, veil and lazo. The groom gives the arrhae (made up of 13 gold coins) to the bride, which symbolizes prosperity that the new couple will share. The candles placed on each side of the bride and groom are lighted to embody the presence of God in the union. The veil is pinned on the couple to symbolize clothing of the two as one. Lastly, the lasso or "lazo" is a rope placed around the couple’s shoulders in the form of an "8" (the infinity symbol) to symbolize everlasting union.” - Jayvee

Advice about planning your wedding from Jayvee: “Involve your family in the process. We had family members who were happy to share their talents to help make our wedding special. The wedding dress, makeup, invitations and coordination were all by family. And we couldn’t imagine our wedding without everyone’s contribution.”

Jonathan planned to propose to Jayvee on a trip to Spain. He was a bit nervous about her engagement ring setting off the metal detector when going through airport security. Luckily it went through and he proposed to her on a balcony in Mallorca.

The favors: We are such foodies and we wanted our favors to reflect that. So we had homemade jams as our favors and we picked Banana Nut Bread and Blackberry Bourbon Vanilla for the adventurous.”

“I surprised Jonathan with a sushi groom’s cake since we both love Japanese food. The Gingered Peach Bakery did such an amazing job with the details, they even had ginger and wasabi on the side!” - Jayvee

“Our hearts were full and it was one of the happiest and emotional weekends ever! We truly felt the love and warmth of our closest family and friends who traveled from many corners of the world to celebrate with us. It was a time for reconnecting and making memories with our new extended family.” - Jayvee

Sonya Yruel is a professional wedding photographer, photographing couples in love and families for over 14 years. She’s based in the San Francisco Bay Area, and also travels to destination weddings. Contact Sonya here.